Urnayr
| Urnayr | |
|---|---|
| King of Caucasian Albania | |
| Reign | 4th century AD |
| Predecessor | Vache I |
| Successor | Sanesan |
| Spouse | Asay - sister of Shapur II |
| Issue | Vachagan II Aswagen |
| House | Arsacid |
| Father | Vache I |
| Religion | Paganism (Converted to Christianity in 314 and established the Church of Caucasian Albania) |
Urnayr was the king of Caucasian Albania from the Arsacid Dynasty. According to the Albanian historian Movses Kaghankatvatsi who provided a list of the Arsacid kings of Albania,[1] he followed king Vache I and was succeeded by king Vachagan II.
King Urnayr went to Syria and accepted Christianity and was baptized around 314 AD by Gregory the Illuminator and tried to spread Christianity in his kingdom through the Church of Caucasian Albania, one of the earliest autocephalous churches in Christianity. He declared Christianity as the state's religion in the 4th century CE. Albania would remain a Christian state until the 8th century.[2][3]
References
- ^ Robert H. Hewsen. Notes and Communications. On the Chronology of Movses Dasxuranci.Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 27, No. 1. (1964), pp. 151-156.
- ^ "Albania" - Encyclopedia Iranica, p. 807 (retrieved 15 June 2006).
- ^ "Voices of the Ancients: Heyerdahl Intrigued by Rare Caucasus Albanian Text" by Dr. Zaza Alexidze - Azerbaijan International, Summer 2002 (retrieved 7 June 2006).